Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi has announced that it is soon going to launch its first Android Go Edition device, the Redmi Go in India on March 19. The device was announced in Europe and Philippines earlier this year.

The Redmi Go will be launched under the Redmi sub-brand and is the first Android Go Edition device from the company. Earlier, Xiaomi had launched the Mi A1 and Mi A2 Android One devices in India. The India launch date of the Redmi Go has been confirmed in an event countdown posted by the company on its website.

Redmi Go specifications

The Redmi Go runs on Android 8.1 Oreo (Go Edition) that is a barebones version of the full Android 8.1 Oreo release. It features a 5-inch HD resolution display with 16:9 aspect ratio and chunky bezels. It comes preloaded with apps like Gmail Go and YouTube Go that focus on using the bare minimum resources, whether it is about the memory/storage or data.

While Xiaomi’s smartphones (across the Mi, Redmi and Poco brands) generally offer great value for money, this generally hasn’t been the case with the company’s stock Android smartphones. The Redmi Go’s specifications further hammer this point home, as it doesn’t seem to compete well with other devices like the Asus ZenFone Live L1, which also features an 18:9 display and a higher resolution rear camera.

Powering the Redmi Go is the Snapdragon 425 chipset, which is paired with 1GB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage, with an option to expand it using a microSD card. In comparison, the Redmi 6A at ₹6,999 gets you 2GB RAM and 32GB internal storage at a marginally higher price.

The Redmi Go comes with an 8MP camera on the back and a 5MP camera on the front. The fingerprint sensor is also nowhere to be seen. The phone is powered by a 3,000mAh battery.

Redmi Go pricing

The Redmi Go was launched with a price tag of €80, which is roughly ₹6,250. We expect the company will slightly reduce the price in India to keep the device competitive.